Watch Me Burn
by gambit217
Summary: "I'll break your heart, and that will kill me as surely as the Templars."   starts after the event in Act 3. F!hawke/Anders. "Where do we go from here?".
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **_So I'm block with "Ghosts of the Past", and may way of passing block is working on a different project. This story takes place in the "City of Chains" universe, same time and will reference with it often. I am going for a Bonnie and Clyde thing with this story. Maybe a darker take than i usually do. The length will depend on how it's received.  
><em>_So read, review, and ENJOY!_

_**"We fell in love in a hopeless place."**_

Ashes fell around her, dancing to the ground, as smoldering snowflakes—extinguishing upon impact. The world had gone silent, muted faces barked orders around her, though no words were getting through. She could see Sebastian from the corner of her eye, falling to his knees; sobbing frantically at the sight of the burning Chantry. Shaking his fists in the air before bringing them down upon his face, rushing a prayer beneath his breath.

Everything around her seemed to be moving in slow motion, she found it impossible to remove her eyes from the rubble, the smoke billowing as the flames engulfed what was left of structure. The lump in her throat prevented any words from escaping her lips, smoke burned her eyes, and her stomach twisted into an anxious knot.

_No, this can't be real. _She brought her hands to her face, rubbing her eyes, only to have the smell death fill her nostrils, surround her with a feeling of unclean. _He couldn't have done...this...NO!_

"Hawke!" Aveline was in front of her, desperately trying to pull her from this catatonic state. "Iseult, please!"

Iseult could see Anders, watching, completely UN-phased by the carnage he had just caused. She saw the flash of blue that over took him, blood rushed to her face, the taste of bile filled her mouth.

_No, not him...Anders would never have done this...Justice... _The name slipped like venom through her mind, the spirit who had taken over Anders long before she had ever known him, though for the past nine years had made his presence more than known.

"How could you!" Iseult screamed at Anders, pushing past Aveline, barreling toward him. "I have done nothing but advocate for you, help you...love you...and this how am I to be repaid?"

She gestured wildly toward the Chantry, bringing her hand back in a whipping motion, landing it squarely across his cheek. Anders flashed blue around the edges, his eyes blank and he raised his gaze to meet hers. Iseult went to slap him again, tears burning the edges of her eyes, he caught her wrist before she could make contact. Her hand stung with tiny pin pricks, his cheek splotched red, she looked away—afraid she would not be able to control her tears.

"Why? Why would you do such a thing?" Orsino turned toward Anders, a look of complete puzzlement and anger painting his elven features.

Anders dropped Iseult's wrist, stepping in front of her, "I removed the chance of compromise, for there is no compromise..." ire lacing his words.

"The grand cleric has been slain by magic, the chantry destroyed..." Meredith stepped between them, staring at the smoking Chantry, Iseult noticed a hint of a smirk upon the Templars face. "As Knight-Commander of Kirkwall I enact the right of Annulment, every mage from the circle is to be executed...Immediately!"

"The circle had nothing to do with this!" Orsino looked frantically to Iseult, "Champion, you cannot let her do this—help us stop this madness!"

"And I demand you stand with us!" Meredith took her place at the head of the group of templars, Iseult looked desperately toward Carver, his eyes trained to the ground. "Even _you _can see this outrage cannot be tolerated."

"Why are we debating this? The monster who murdered Elthina is stand right here!" Sebastian growled, narrowing his gaze toward Anders. "I swear to you...I will kill him."

"It cannot be stopped now, You must choose." Anders crossed his arms, she could feel the rage pulsing through her, flames sparked from her finger tips.

"Think rationally sister." Carver called out, "I do not want to fight you!"

"Nor I you." She replied, "But you cannot be suggesting I side with this mad woman."

"I will not let her slaughter you!" Iseult reassured a group of apprentices, they stood staffs drawn, trembling at the sight of gleaming Templar armor.

"Hawke...are you sure? This might be one that even you can't win." Varric piped up from behind her, standing between Fenris and Merill.

"Think carefully about this, Champion." Meredith hissed, motioning her guard forward. "Stand with them and you share their fate!"

"I am them!" Iseult pulled her staff from her back, "I will not help you, Meredith."

"Thank the Maker." Orsino sighed, stepping beside her.

"This is a mistake, but I will not abandon you now." Fenris grumbled, pulling his sword.

"I see what you are trying to do Hawke, and my place..." Aveline faltered, "Is with you."

"You are a fool, Champion." Meredith smiled, turning to face her men. "Kill them all! I will rouse the order."

"Go! Warn the others," Orsino called to the apprentices, ushering them to scatter.

Iseult caught a glimpse of Carver, her brother sending her a helpless gaze, backing away as his brothers in arms charged her. It hardly required a flick of her wrist to send the armored men flying, she sent a stunning charm, having no interest in causing further blood shed. She looked to where Carver had been standing, the spot now empty, she could not blame him.

"So it has come to this." Orsino, looked toward the templars limp bodies, "I do not know if we can win this war, Champion, but...thank you. I will leave you to your _friend, _he is yours to deal with. Meet me at the gallows as soon as you can, we must end this."

Iseult turned to Anders, he sat on a wooden box, leaving his back to her. She wrung the leather grip of her staff in her hand, huffing angrily forward.

"There is nothing you can say that I have not already said to myself, I took a spirit into my soul and changed everything, forever." He paused, twisting her stomach further into knots. "This is the justice all mages have been waiting for."

"Shut up!" Hawke growled, finding no point in concealing her rage. He turned around, blonde hair framing an anguished face, the look made her shudder. "I have no interest in hearing this sob story again, you will help me defend the mages."

Anders faced turned from anguished to bewildered, he raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by Sebastian.

"No! I will not allow this...this...monster to walk free." Sebastian roared, his pale complexion beet red. "I swear to you Iseult...he dies—or I am returning to Starkhaven, and upon my return I will bring such an army that there will be nothing left of Kirkwall for these...maleficarum to rule."

Iseult stepped forward, narrowing her eyes, as a blue flame erupted in the palm of her left hand. "Do not interfere, Sebastian."

He took a step back, icy blue eyes searching her face, then turning with a snarl toward Anders.

"I will not fight you, Iseult." He sheathed his blade, "My death now would achieve nothing, just know this, I will be coming for your precious Anders. He will know what true justice is."

Sebastian turned and made his way through the broken city, the last glimpse of his white armor disappearing behind a wall of smoke. Iseult let out a slow breath, letting the flame in her palm weaken, and relaxing her stance.

Anders approached her cautiously, "Why?"

His question was a simple one, coated with curiosity that infuriated her all the same, if he could not see why she would spare his life—this all was for not. She blinked back tears, refusing to meet his gaze, her voice barely a whisper.

"You know I could not..."

"You could have let Sebastian do it, you have every right to hate me right now." He replied in the same hushed tone. He was close enough to hug her, but he dare not. She could feel his warm breath caressing her cheek, his eyes penetrating her very self.

"I do not know what you wish to hear, I do not understand how I can hate you...but still love you so much at the same time." Iseult could hear the screams in the distance, the veil growing weaker with every passing moment. "But there are things bigger than us going on right now, this is not the time nor the place."

"You wanted to help the mages? Well now if your chance at redemption, please do not make me regret it." She snapped, setting off to face the monsters behind the smoke.


	2. Chapter 2

They had fled.

_With good reason _Justice consistently reminded him, _Why we brought her along is my question._

Anders looked toward Iseult's fragile form, she remained three steps a head of him since they left Kirkwall, she had not spoken a word to him. Her dark hair framed her face as it was adjusted to the ground, her lips pursed and arms crossed. In the nine years he had known Iseult, he had not known her to be the quite ponderer, she was not afraid to speak her mind. This must mean she was really angry.

How could he blame her? They had fled the city she had worked so hard for, though it was also the city that had cost her everything. He shivered at the thought of that brother of hers unconscious on the ground, the look upon her face as he pulled her hand, urging her forward. He was not far from the smoldering ashes of Meredith, he smirked at the sound of her cries, that was something he felt no guilt for. Maybe he was accepting Vengeance in too openly.

They moved forward, along the wounded coast, up deep into the hillside. It was when the sun had begun to creep below the mountain side, setting the sky a fire, that Iseult threw her pack down. They were right on the edge of the Planasene forest, the trees swaying in the breeze, eerily calling the outsiders closer.

He had no plan, he had not even intended on being alive at this point, her sparing his life was completely...unexpected. He looked to her again, she was throwing wood into a pit dug by a previous traveler, muttering beneath her breath.

"Izz." He sighed, moving forward, standing between her and the pit. She ignored him. "Iseult..."

She glared right through him, staring at the ever expanding pile of wood, darkness was beginning to envelope the land around them. She picked up another slab of wood, chucking it right past his head into the pit, he did his best to look unscathed.

"Iseult, you will need to talk to me eventually love."

Her icy blue eyes scanned his face, furrowing her brow further, before flames erupted from her palm. Iseult hurled it toward the pile, the warmth fluttering past his sleeve, missing him by inches.

"Andraste's knickers...What is wrong with you?" He yelped, leaping from the way.

"What is wrong with **me**?" She scowled, the flames still licking at her hands. "What is wrong with you?"

Anders opened his mouth to speak—

_You let your women speak to you as such? _Justice echoed through his skull, Anders suppressed the anger.

_Shut up! This is your fault, Justice, all of this is. _Anders thought, silencing the spirit.

"I do not understand how you could have thought this would help matters!" She gestured toward the tower of smoke they would still make out in the distance. "You have not made yourself a martyr, you have made yourself a terrorist, mages will now go from feared to extinct...because of you!"

Iseult resumed pacing, "Festis bei umo canavarum, Vishante Kaffas!"

Anders could not make out what she was saying, though he recognized the language of Tevinter, Arcanum curses flowing through her teeth as if it were her first language. He could feel the anger bubbling inside of him, as he thought of the elf who most likely taught her the mouth of a foreign sailor. Fenris had not spoken a word directly to him in months, tonight had been no exception, the elf burned a hole through Anders when Iseult announced she would let him live.

He had done his best to ignore their past, ignore the red cloth Fenris penned around his wrist after he had spent the night with her, after he had left her. Their affair was a brief one, though he was not able to ignore the spark in her eyes when that _elf _entered a room.

Anders recalled sitting upon the frayed crate, at the base of the keeps steps, watching the cinders settling around him. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Fenris grabbing Iseult's elbow, pulling her to the side. Their mouths moved rapidly, he could not make out what they were saying, but he could tell by her deepening frown that it was nothing good.

"Because I am!" Iseult finally burst, sending Fenris a step backward, "You can either help me or you can leave..."

Anders watched as the elf winced at her choice in words, he was completely aware of his regret, and took a sense of pride in foiling his ever longing happiness.

"Are you even listening to me?" Iseult tossed another small fire ball toward him, her brow knitted to the deepest extent.

"Pardon?"

"You are the most selfish..." She stomped away toward the tree line, continuing her curses and dirty looks in his direction; as he began to set up camp. Though it consisted merely of two bedrolls, and some blankets. He pulled a loaf of bread from her pack, using his dagger to slice it in half, and placing it to toast on the flames.

Anders smirked when she finally plopped down next to the fire, the smell of the warming bread drawing her in as he knew it would. Iseult kept her arms cross, glaring into the flames, nudging dirt around with her foot.

"Do we even have a plan?" She blurted, snatching the bread he offered out of his hands.

"I hadn't thought of one..." He shrugged, biting heartily into the slice. As a warden he found he was always peckish, though as a Ferelden refugee, and apostate mage, he learned to make do with what he had.

"Brilliant," Iseult growled, through chewing.

"Your ranting gave me an idea though," He replied, pointedly.

"My what?"

"We could make way for Tevinter." He dropped the idea causally, waiting for a hint of a reaction from her before proceeding. When she remained neutral, he began speaking again. "And if that doesn't work out, we have an entire world to explore..."

"What's in Tevinter?" Iseult asked, her curiosity peaked.

"A safer place for us...for now. Maybe we will be able to find a better support base there. It's just getting there that is the problem." Anders pointed toward the forest, "It's a long journey, especially on foot."

"Well..." Iseult faltered, looking toward the glow coming from the distant fire's in Kirkwall, the plume of smoke coming from the chantry still visible. "It is not as if we have much other option now."

"Tevinter, then?"

"Tevinter..."


End file.
